Heuchera plant named &#39;FOREVER PURPLE&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Heuchera  plant characterized by leaves which are colored deep purple colored year round, medium size, glossy leaves with fluted margins, purple pink flowers on dark peduncles, great winter foliage color, a medium, mounding habit, a high crown count, excellent tolerance to heat and humidity, and excellent vigor.

BOTANICAL DENOMINATION

Heuchera hybrid

VARIETY DESIGNATION

‘Forever Purple’

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Heucheraand given the cultivar name of ‘Forever Purple’. Heuchera is in thefamily Saxifragaceae. Heuchera ‘Forever Purple’ originated as acontrolled cross using Heuchera K608-2, a proprietary, unnamed plant asthe seed parent, and Heuchera K698-6, a proprietary, unnamed plant asthe pollen parent.

Compared to the seed parent K608-2, the new cultivar the new cultivarhas leaves that have a stronger purple color and flowers that are onshorter inflorescences.

Compared to the pollen parent K698-6, the new cultivar has leaves thathave a stronger purple color.

This new Heuchera is uniquely distinguished by:

1. leaves deep purple colored year round,2. medium size, glossy leaves with fluted margins,3. purple pink flowers on dark peduncles,4. great winter foliage color,5. a high crown count,6. a medium, mounding habit,7. excellent tolerance to heat and humidity,8. and excellent vigor.

This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (tipcuttings and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identicalcharacteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by cuttingsand tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques withterminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that theforegoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and areestablished and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The presentinvention has not been evaluated under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may change with variations in environmentwithout a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a close up of an eight-month-old plant of Heuchera ‘ForeverPurple’ in bloom growing in a one gallon container, grown in a warmgreenhouse in July in Canby, Oreg.

FIG. 2 shows nine-month-old plants growing in the trial beds inSeptember in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Heuchera cultivarbased on observations taken in late June of one and one-half-year-oldspecimens growing in one gallon containers, grown outside in a shadehouse in Canby, Oreg. Canby is Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map.Temperatures range from a high of 95 degrees F. in August to an averageof 32 degrees F. in January. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8 inches peryear. The color descriptions are all based on The Royal HorticulturalSociety Colour Chart, 5^(th) edition.

-   Plant:    -   -   Form.—basal rosette, herbaceous perennial.        -   Hardiness.—USDA Zone 4 to 9.        -   Size.—18 cm tall from top of the foliage to the ground and            44 cm wide (two-year-old plants grow to 55 cm wide and 30 cm            tall).        -   Number of crowns.—9.        -   Habit.—mounding.        -   Vigor.—excellent.-   Leaf:    -   -   Type.—simple.        -   Arrangement.—rosette.        -   Shape.—broadly ovate.        -   Lobing/division.—5 to 7 shallow lobes, the terminal the            longest, shallow secondary lobes.        -   Venation.—palmate.        -   Margins.—crenate, slightly undulate.        -   Apex.—mucronulate.        -   Base.—cordate.        -   Blade size.—grows to 11 cm long and 10.5 cm wide.        -   Surface texture.—glandular on both sides.        -   Petiole description.—grows to 17 cm long and 2.5 mm wide,            glandular hairs, Purple N79B.        -   Leaf color.—topside, leaves all year closest to Purple N79A            with veins Black 203C, bottom side Purple N79A with veins            N79B.-   Inflorescence:    -   -   Size.—grows to 3.5 cm wide and 9 cm long, often bending            over.        -   Type.—thyrse.        -   Number of flowers per thyrse.—about 40.        -   Number of thyrse.—about 6.        -   Peduncle.—grows to 21 cm long and 4 mm wide at base, Red            Purple 59A on bottom blending to Violet Blue N92A on top,            glandular hairs.        -   Pedicel.—variable in size, with glandular hairs, closest to            Violet Blue N92A.        -   Bloom period.—sporadic bloom spring through summer.-   Flower bud:    -   -   Size.—3 mm wide and 4 mm long.        -   Description.—glandular puberulent, ovoid, down facing.        -   Color.—Red Purple 71C on bottom half to 71D on top half.-   Flower:    -   -   Type.—perfect.        -   Shape.—campanulate.        -   Size.—8 mm long and 5.5 mm wide.        -   Corolla description.—5 petals, 3 mm long and less than 1 mm            wide, linear, margins entire, tip acute, glabrous on top and            glandular on bottom side, Purple 75C on both sides.        -   Calyx description.—campanulate, 8 mm long and 5.5 mm wide,            with 5 lobes divided ½ way to the base, each 2 mm wide and 3            mm long, glandular on top and bottom, tip obtuse, margin            entire; color inside Purple 75C, outside Red Purple 71C on            bottom half to Purple 75C with lobe centers Red Purple 71C            on top half.        -   Stamen description.—5 in number, filaments 2 mm long, Purple            75D, anthers 0.4 mm, Greyed Orange 177B, no pollen.        -   Pistil description.—1, 2-beaked, 6 mm long and 1.8 mm wide,            ovary 2 mm long and 1.8 mm wide, Red Purple 64C, style 4 mm            long, Purple 75C.        -   Fragrance.—none.        -   Lastingness.—each thyrse blooms for about 3 weeks on the            plant.-   Fruit:    -   -   Type.—two-beaked ovoid capsule.        -   Fertility.—low.        -   Color.—Greyed Brown 199C.-   Seed:    -   -   Shape.—linear.        -   Size.—1 mm long.        -   Color.—Black 202A.-   Pest and disease tolerance: The new cultivar is typical to the    genus. No known resistances to pests or diseases. No problems have    been found in Canby, Oreg.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct Heuchera plant as herein illustrated anddescribed.